


today, tomorrow

by writerlily



Series: The After [4]
Category: X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types, X-Men: Apocalypse
Genre: F/M, Gen, Post X-Men: Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-07-14 04:55:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7154435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writerlily/pseuds/writerlily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jean doesn't want to go back to classes again tomorrow. She would be happy staying within this little moment, but there's still homework to do and people to save and the usual things that come with being an x-men.</p>
            </blockquote>





	today, tomorrow

It's a rare day off. Today's a holiday, so classes aren't in session, books are effectively shut, and students are spread out around campus. Groups of kids lay out on the grass on a large blanket, underneath the branches of the trees that surround the school. The sun is shining brightly on everyone, making things feel almost perfect.

Other students are doing different activities; there's a basketball game going, miniature boats are floating across the small pond, and there's even a ping pong game going on very strong, with Peter in the lead. There's a strict no powers rule while playing these games to make things fair, but Peter has always been a little mischievous.

Jean, Ororo, and Jubilee are in the common room, spread around the place. Jean is reading while laying on her stomach on the large couch, Ororo is doing yoga on the floor, and Jubilee is painting her nails a particularly bright shade of neon pink. The windows are wide open, letting the soft breeze from outside flutter throughout the room. They even brought down Jubilee's radio from her room and plugged it in downstairs, so they're all listening to some pop tune by Madonna as they relax. 

Ororo breaks the silence as she does a tricky looking yoga move, that if Jean tried would probably end up with her on the floor and a broken bone. "Where are the boys?" 

"Peter's cheating at ping pong," Jubilee mutters as she wipes her finger at a spot of nail polish that has accidentally dropped on the wooden floor. She gives the girls a guilty look. "Don't tell the professor."

Jean snorts. "Kurt and Scott are upstairs," she marks her page in her book and closes it as she sits up. Strands of her hair are all messed up. She makes quick work of combing them out with her fingers. "Scott's parents dropped off some of his things from home, like a couple video games that they're playing."

"I don't like video games," Ororo relaxes from her position and sits crossed legged, facing Jean. Her hair is growing out again on the sides and Jean makes a side note to help her shave her head again sometime this week. "They hurt my eyes."

"Scott would be so unhappy with you saying you don't like games," Jean teases, with a hand to her chest in mock surprise. 

Ororo throws a pillow at her and laughs when Jean uses her telekinesis to move it away. "Not fair," she stands up then, reaching a hand for Jean to take. She's wearing several silver rings stacked on her fingers in such a cool, fashionable way. They're cool against Jean's hand when she takes Ororo's. She falls back against the couch, hers and Jean's shoulders bumping into each other's. 

"Did you meet Scott's parents when they stopped by?" Jubilee raises a brow as she screws the lid back onto her nail polish bottle. She carefully tucks it away into a pocket of her bright yellow jacket. 

Jean feels her cheeks begin to redden and she unsuccessfully tries to hide her smile as she nods. Scott had knocked on her bedroom door last weekend, when parents were allowed to come down and visit their children. Jean's parents rarely ever came, something that bothered her, especially when she could hear the minds of the students who were fortunate enough to have their mother or father come in. Ororo would hole herself up with Jean, studying and doing their homework, and ignoring the sounds of parents coming and going up and down the driveway of the school.

Scott looked shy and nervous with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his blue jeans, his hair combed over in that neat little way of his, and the collar of his jacket popped up. "Hey Jean," he said with a little tilt of his lips. Lips that she had just kissed a couple months ago, and last week, and the other day. Jean had to force herself to stop staring at his lips. "What are you up to?"

Jean leaned against her door and fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "I was just getting some reading done," she said with a gesture towards her desk where her homework lay and a book open. 

"Oh, right," Scott said and shook his head. He murmured something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like he was calling himself stupid for bothering her. They were still shy with each other, despite the strong mutual feelings they had, and it was a sweet kind of thing. They were both tentative and young and Jean quite liked the way they were with each other. "I'll just go," he said spinning around on the heel of his adidas shoes. 

Jean grabbed the corner of his jacket to prevent him from leaving. "What is it?" She said as she pulled him slightly closer to her. She could see the small hint of surprise on his face, the same kind of surprise she saw on his face every time she did something that showed she wanted him to stay. "I'm telepathic, you know."

Scott gave her an unimpressed look, but put his hands around her waist anyway. "My parents are here," he said quietly and paused before continuing. "I was wondering if... If I could.. Or well. If you wanted to. I mean. You know."

Jean smiled playfully. "No, I don't know," she nudge him with her nose. "I need you to tell me exactly."

She could practically feel Scott roll his eyes. "I thought you were telepathic," he said sarcastically and brought a hand up slowly to touch her temple. His hand drifted down before resting against her cheek. "I want my parents to meet you."

Jean's heart had practically stopped for a moment. Meeting the parents of someone you were kind of dating was serious and Jean couldn't help but give him a brilliant smile, one that he returned fully, replacing the insecure look on his face. She brushed her lips against his and pulled back, as he took her hand in his and led her downstairs. The whole walk down was spent with them giving each other small smiles and Jean didn't feel so nervous at the prospect of meeting Scott's parents when his hand was in hers.

"How was it?" Ororo asks, snapping Jean out of her thoughts. 

"I've never met a boyfriend's parents...," Jubilee says thoughtfully as she lays on her belly on the floor. "But then again, I've never had a boyfriend."

"His parents were really nice to me," Jean says as she twirls a strand of her long red hair, feeling so much like a ridiculous school girl that it makes her laugh. "His mom kept telling me that she was so happy Scott found himself a nice girl."

"You are far from nice," Jubilee says seriously, with Ororo nodding her head in agreement. "You're actually the worst and you snore."

Jean scoffs and throws a pillow at Jubilee that lands directly in the girl's face. "Kidding," Jubilee smiles as she takes the pillow and rests her chin on it. "So it's like, pretty serious between you two now, isn't it?"

Jean shrugs, thinking again of last weekend. After they waved his parents goodbye, Scott had thread his fingers in Jean's hair and kissed her deeply. It was the kind of kiss that meant something a little more and made Jean feel something to the very tips of her toes. 

"Oh don't just," Ororo copies Jean's shrug, and pokes her on the side of her stomach. Jean squeals and bats Ororo's hand away. 

"You two need to stop grilling me about my love life," Jean slips out from beneath Ororo's stretched legs and wanders over to the window seat facing the gardens. 

"So it's love then," Jubilee nods her head as in confirmation. "It's love," she whispers loudly to Ororo who only snorts in response.

"Well what about you guys?" Jean turns the table back onto her two friends and ignored the fluttery feeling in her stomach at that four letter word.

"There's this guy in my science class," Jubilee says with an almost dreamy like look to her eyes. Jean wonders if she looks like that when she talks about Scott. She probably does. "I'm going to make my move this week."

"Which is?" Ororo raises a brow and turns on her side to face the other two girls. 

"I'm going to drop my pencil in front of him," Jubilee says with a glint to her eyes. "Then he'll stop and pick it up and then I'll say something that'll have him fall in love with me. Simple."

"I think you're onto something," Ororo nods her head and points at Jubilee. "That's a very good move."

Jubilee winks. "I know," she reaches into her pocket to pull out a piece of pink bubblegum. She always has some with her and is blowing bubbles whenever she can. 

"I wanted to ask the professor if I could go back home," Ororo says, making both Jean and Jubilee look up at her. She notices their stares and quickly corrects herself. "No, no. Not to leave the school, but I had friends there. Some younger than me. It wasn't the best of places to live in," Ororo says and Jean is suddenly sent images of a run down home, that rarely had food in its fridge, and would house almost a dozen children. "I want to make sure they're okay."

Jean comes back to sit next to Ororo, placing a hand on her arm. "I'm sure the professor would let you," she gives her a reassuring smile. "I'd be happy to come help... If you need it."

Ororo smiles and squeezes Jean's hand as Jubilee gets up to walk over to them. "Well that's certainly a better move than mine," she says, having all of them laugh. 

Their day off continues in a similar fashion, except they move their laziness outside, choosing a spot under a thick tree by the pond. As the three of them lay back against the grass next to each other, the boys eventually join them. Kurt chooses a spot on a high branch, deciding to perch himself there and use his tail to bother Jubilee. Peter situates himself near Ororo and bothers her about her white hair, for like the millionth time. Scott sits against the trunk and Jean leans back against his chest, his arms wrapped loosely around her as he ducks down to kiss Jean's cheek. 

Jean doesn't want to go back to classes again tomorrow. She would be happy staying within this little moment, but there's still homework to do and people to save and the usual things that come with being an x-men.


End file.
